State Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, left, shown here with House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, protested the state’s rising debt by voting against 41 allocations for capital projects on Friday on the State Bond Commission. less

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said in response to a Democratic news conference Tuesday that it’s too late for them to adopt Republican positions, such as a hard cap on the state’s annual bonding. less

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said in response to a Democratic news conference Tuesday that it’s too late for them to adopt Republican positions, such as a hard cap on the state’s annual ... more

State Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, left, and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, want to expand the agenda of next week’s special legislative session to include a variety of economic issues above and beyond a $220-million incentive package for Sikorsky Aircraft division of Lockheed Martin. less

State Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, left, and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, want to expand the agenda of next week’s special legislative session to include a variety of ... more

Photo: Jessica Hill / Associated Press

Repulsed by video, GOP’s top female office holder in Conn. re-evaluates Trump support

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Connecticut’s top Republican female office holder says she’s re-evaluating her support of Donald Trump after hearing Trump’s lewd banter about a television host in a bombshell video that has many in the GOP ducking for cover.

Trump can be heard telling Billy Bush in outtakes from an “Access Hollywood” interview — unearthed Friday by the Washington Post — that he tried to “f—- her. “She was married.”

The GOP presidential nominee is later heard on a hot microphone bragging to Bush about being a celebrity and interacting with women, “Grab them by the p—-y. You can do anything.”

“This is disgusting,” Klarides said. “This would be embarrassing for a frat boy, let alone a grown man.”

The video’s emergence sent Republicans in the state scrambling Saturday to do damage control, with some putting distance between the GOP brand and Trump, who some party leaders said was not their first choice to be the nominee. But most stopped short of withdrawing their support for Trump, as some other GOP figures around the country have done.

“I’m not going to defend the indefensible,” said state Rep. John Frey, R-Ridgefield, a Republican National Committee member. “What we saw yesterday was absolutely horrendous. When I saw the tape yesterday, frankly, I felt nauseous.”

In a 90-second video, Trump apologized Friday night and said he regretted the comments made a decade ago. He also sought to turn his mea culpa into an indictment of Bill and Hillary Clinton, invoking the extramarital affairs of the former president.

“Frankly, I felt his apology fell way short,” Frey said. “He was never a top choice of mine largely because of these type of character reservations that I had. He’s just not a personality that I’ve been able to fully embrace.”

While two GOP U.S. senators (Mark Kirk of Illinois and John Thune of South Dakota) have called for Trump’s withdrawal and replacement by running mate Mike Pence, Frey said he was uncomfortable speculating about the future of the ticket. He said he wouldn’t want to prejudice any discussions by the 168-member RNC, which would choose a replacement for Trump.

State GOP Chairman J.R. Romano tried to deflect the broadside away from Trump and onto the Clintons.

“I understand the reaction and I hope that we can accept Donald Trump’s apology the same way America and Hillary accepted Bill Clinton’s,” Romano said in a prepared statement.

Not all Republicans retreated from Trump. Angel Cadena Jr., the GOP challenger for Congress against Democrat Rosa DeLauro in the 3rd District, professed his loyalty to Trump in a biting Facebook post.

“As a Republican running for Congress in a blue ... state, I fully condemn all the ... Republicans that are turning on Trump for something he said in private 11 years ago,” Cadena posted.

Democrats pounced on the scandal, launching a petition drive to pressure Republicans to condemn Trump.

“They can no longer hide their support for their bigoted, misogynistic, and vile party leader,” the state Democratic Party wrote in an email to supporters.

Klarides, the first woman to lead her caucus in the House, said she wants to see how Trump handles himself in Sunday night’s second presidential debate in weighing her support for the nominee.

“I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open,” Klarides said. “I’m curious about his tone. His body language is going to be very important to me.”

An early critic of Trump during the primary campaign, Klarides was selected by the state GOP and Trump’s campaign to serve as a delegate for Trump in July at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. She said Saturday that it’s fair to for Republicans to be put on the spot about Trump.

“When Donald does and says things, he must own them and anybody who supports him must own them,” Klarides said.

At the same time, Klarides said that there is a double standard when it comes to Democrats discussing Hillary Clinton’s response to Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky.

“This is the woman who blamed an intern for having a sexual relationship with her husband,” Klarides said. “Blame your husband. He broke your vows.”

Leora Levy, an RNC member from Greenwich and top fundraiser for the party, was noncommittal on Trump.

“I agree with Reince Priebus’s statement: ‘No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever,’ ” Levy said of the RNC chairman. “Donald J. Trump must search his heart and soul and do what’s right for America.”